Our View: Debate over tax reform is back

Remember last year when it seemed like Gov. Jay Nixon would have been better off renting a home in Kirksville for as often as he was visiting the area?

Get ready for Round 2.

Senate Bill 509 is about to take center stage. If you haven’t heard about it, you will very soon. Trust us.

Its cousin, House Bill 253, was the cause of all that noise last year, when local Reps. Nate Walker and Craig Redmon grabbed headlines by opposing their fellow Republicans and helping sustain Gov. Nixon’s veto.

The new bill is one of at least two things. It’s either completely different from HB 253 and is a no-risk attempt to stimulate the economy (that’s the Republican interpretation), or it’s almost exactly the same and is a high-risk experiment that will defund core state programs such as public education (that’s the Democratic interpretation).

Oh, and those interpretations don’t include Gov. Nixon’s assertions this week that the bill has a drafting flaw that would, if implemented, eliminate income taxes for 97 percent of Missourians, thereby throwing the entire state government into chaos (the Republicans, not surprisingly, disagree completely with that interpretation).

The parties have painted this issue as black and white. For the majority of folks who live in the land of gray, you’re out of luck.

That’s both part of the problem, and why we’re likely very far from a solution.